Big Night Out
by SlayBelle1
Summary: A famous band come to Sunnydale...but they're not the only ones paying a visit.


Title: Big Night Out  
Author: It was me, honest!  
Summary: A famous band come to Sunnydale, but they're not the only ones visiting…. and they have some secrets to hide. Set sometime during season 4, after Wild At Heart but before Hush, I think anyway.  
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, Buffy and Co. have nothing to do with me, Joss thought them up first and they're owned by WB. As for Entity, Astrid, Evan, Cameron and Jenson, they're mine, all mine! Mwah ha ha ha! (Okay, I'll stop now!)  
Feedback: This is my first Buffy fic, so don't be too harsh, please! Remember what your mother said - if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. Email me at mhaz2001@hotmail.com  
  
  
  
Scene: Giles' house, a normal, sunny Friday afternoon. Buffy, Willow (don't they have classes to go to?) and Xander are watching TV.  
  
"Wow, this is really cool. I can't believe it," Buffy Summers remarked as the short news clip finished. "I know, Entity are coming to Sunnydale. Very iceberg-like," Xander replied, then added, "you know, kinda cool," in response to everyone's blank stares. "Ah, gotcha. I wonder why they're coming here though. I mean, they could play on the moon and still sell out their shows," spoke up Willow, from her place on the floor. "Come on, let's face it, Sunnydale is a hell of a place to visit - hell being the appropriate word, obviously. Look what we have to offer: Starbucks, the Bronze, vampires, demons, what else could you want?" was Buffy's reply. "Well, apparently, it's what a mega famous band want, because a week today, Entity will be in Sunnydale," Xander informed everyone.  
"Entity? What kind of entity do you mean? Is this another of your prophetic dreams Buffy?" Giles asked, entering the room at that moment. "Not an Entity, Giles, the Entity," Xander explained, but seeing Giles' puzzled look, Buffy jumped in, "They're a band, Giles. You know, singing, drums, guitars, pretty little tunes on the hit parade."   
"Thank you Buffy, I am aware of what a band is."  
"Oh, of course. I almost forgot that you were part of the original Pink Floyd line up. Or was it the Rolling Stones?" She replied, smiling. "They may not be to your taste though. They release songs on CDs, not 8-tracks," Xander chipped in. "Yes, yes, very amusing. Before you continue joking at my expense, may I please remind you whose house you are in and whose food you are currently consuming?" he said, heading back into the kitchen. Willow called after him, "Okay, we're sorry Giles. You know we're only kidding. And don't worry, those stones will be rolling forever." His only reply was to slam a door somewhere in the kitchen, while the three friends dissolved into giggles.  
When they had recovered, Buffy said, "So where do we get tickets?"  
"You want to go?" Willow asked. "We have to, Will. Nothing big ever happens in Sunnydale," Xander replied. "What, apart from the hellmouth thing and the occasional near-apocalypse?"   
""Okay, nothing big that isn't deadly then. Come on Will, it'll be great. You love this band," Buffy tried to persuade her. "Yeah, but I only started to like them because Oz did. He thought that singer Astrid was the best. I should have realised then."  
"Well, maybe this will help you take your mind off Oz. And you'll get to see Evan in the flesh," Buffy reminded her, referring to the band's guitarist. "Enough with the arm-twisting. We get tickets from the Bronze."  
"We should probably head there now, they're gonna go pretty fast. Giles, you want to rough it, come to see one of these modern popular beat combo things?" Xander called. "No thank you, I wouldn't want to cramp your style."  
"So three tickets it is then."  
"Uh, Xand, aren't you forgetting someone?" Willow asked. "No way. We are not taking the bleach boy."  
"As if we'd take Spike. Remember Anya? Your girlfriend? About yay high, short brown hair, vengeance-demon-trapped-in-teen's-body?" Buffy enquired. "Oh, right. Four tickets then."  
"Wait a minute. Were you planning on not asking her?" Willow asked suspiciously. "Of course I was going to ask her. Slipped my mind, that's all. My mind is a very slippy place," he replied hastily. "I know why you weren't going to ask her. It's that singer, Astrid. You don't want Anya to see you drooling over her," Buffy teased. "You are about as far from being right as Spike is from being a sun worshipper. Anyway, I don't drool. Well, maybe a little in my sleep, but…"   
"Xander, stop rambling. We know you have a crush on her, we've seen the posters in your basement," Willow reminded him. "Hey, is that why you drool in your sleep?" Buffy asked. "So four tickets huh? Let's go get 'em," he said brightly, heading out the door followed by the laughing girls.  
An hour later, they had finally reached the front of the queue at the Bronze and bought their four tickets. As she was walking away with the others, Buffy heard someone calling her name, and turning around, she saw Riley in the queue with a couple of friends.   
"Oh, hey Riley. Waiting for tickets?"  
"Yeah, I hope they've still got some left."  
"I just got mine. You know, I didn't have you down as an Entity fan somehow."  
"No, I think they're great. Why wouldn't I be a fan?"  
"I don't know, I just thought that you'd be into…other music," she finished, rather lamely. "Well, back in Iowa I was, but then I came here and Forrest introduced me to these new CD things, and now I'm an Entity fan," he said seriously, but seeing Buffy's expression, added, "I'm joking, Buffy. You know, ha ha?"   
"Oh, is that what that was?" she smiled. "Well, an attempt at humour at least. Anyway, the queue's moving again, but I'll see you in class Monday?"  
"I'll be there. Can't promise I'll be awake, but I'll be there."  
Over the next week, the subject of the Entity show was never far from the conversations of what seemed to be the entire student population of Sunnydale. Buffy and her friends were no different, getting completely caught up in the excitement, and even missing patrol on the night before the show. The next morning, a loud knocking on the door interrupted Buffy and Willow's excited conversation. When Buffy called, "Come in," Giles entered, carrying a newspaper and looking very serious. "Hey Giles. Where's the smile?" Willow asked, then giggled, "I made a rhyme."  
"Indeed. Buffy, were you on patrol last night?"  
"Um, no. I was tired, and I had so much work to do," she lied. "I thought as much. That helps to explain these five deaths last night," he said, handing her the newspaper. She quickly scanned the three separate stories, then looked up at him again. "All vampire?"  
"Three certainly were. The other two, a demon of unspecified origin, perhaps two separate demons."  
"Is there anything due to happen? Something we've missed maybe?" Willow asked. "No, not as far as I can see. I've been rechecking and I've found no mention of anything related to this. The only big thing happening is this band you're all so excited about."  
"Any music loving demons?" Buffy asked. "Everyone is desperate to see the band, maybe these demons feel the same," Willow suggested. "Highly unlikely. Anyway, Buffy, it is important that you don't miss patrol again this evening."  
"Giles, please don't make me miss this tonight. I've been waiting ages for it."  
"A week, actually."  
"A long week. Please Giles, I'll patrol before and after the show, extra late too."  
"That should be sufficient. I'd better be heading off now. Enjoy yourselves tonight. and be careful Buffy."  
The day passed extremely slowly, especially as everyone on campus was talking about the show, but a very eventful patrol took Buffy's mind off it for a while. She meant to call in at Giles' to report the increase in demon activity in the town, but noticing the time, headed home to change instead.  
People had been queuing to get into the Bronze for hours, hoping to catch a glimpse of the band, so by the time Buffy and her friends arrived, they were about as far from the stage as possible. When the band made their entrance through a cloud of smoke, the crowd surged forward suddenly and it was all Buffy could do not to lose her balance. She felt a strong hand grip her arm to steady her, and glancing up, she saw Riley smiling down at her.  
"Thanks Riley, I thought I was going to get crushed there," she said gratefully.  
"Well, we couldn't have that happen now, could -" he stopped suddenly, eyes fixed on the stage. Following his gaze, Buffy saw the spotlight had fallen on the singer, Astrid, a tall blond girl not much older than Buffy. Looking to her left, sge saw Xander staring with the same expression as Riley, deaf to the angry words of Anya.   
Willow leaned over to Buffy and whispered, "I knew he would drool over her."  
"Well, he's not the only one." Buffy indicated Riley and several other males around them wearing the same expression.  
As soon as the band started up, the crowd went wild and Buffy, Willow and Anya spent the next hour trying to not to get trampled on, Riley and Xander doing nothing to help them. When the band finished, the friends headed over to some seats, and Willow said, "What a show. Didn't see a bit of it cos of all those stupid guys jumping around."  
"Tell m e about it. I'm more bruised now than after a night on patrol," Buffy complained, rubbing her arm.  
"Patrol? What do you mean patrol?" Riley asked.  
"Uh, I just meant, how I think someone would feel if they had spent a night patrolling something, anything," she desperately tried to cover. Deciding to change the subject, she said, "So Xand, what did you think?"  
Her question was met only with silence, as he seemed to be transfixed by the sight of Astrid talking to someone by the stage. Buffy watched too as Astrid seemingly laughed and flirted with the guy, but Buffy couldn't help feeling that there was something about him, perhaps his all-too-pale skin.  
When Astrid moved towards the door with him, Buffy whispered to Willow, "I think she's flirting with the undead. I'm gonna follow her."  
Excusing herself, she made her way outside and took up a position where she could see the two talking. Sure enough, they had only been outside for a minute when he vamped out and grabbed the singer to him.  
Clutching her stake in her hand, Buffy crept up noiselessly behind them. The second before Mr Pointy plunged into the vampire's back, he turned to dust, and only the Slayer's lightening quick reflexes stopped her from impaling the other girl. Looking down at where the vampire had been only seconds before, Buffy was shocked to see the stake in Astrid's hand, only millimetres away from her own chest. When she glanced back up, she knew that the astonished look on the older girl's face matched her own.  
  
  
  
To be continued….  
(Betcha can't wait now, huh? Or maybe you can actually.)  
  



End file.
